Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Fla. House Committee OKs Hospice Measure; In Ariz., Bill Allowing Providers To Not Give End-Of-Life Instructions Gains Approval
Health News Florida: House Panel Approves Hospice Care Expansion
The House is advancing a measure making it easier for patients to access hospice care. Florida confines hospice services to the final six months of a person’s life. But Rep. Gayle Harrell (R-Stuart) wants to ensure terminal patients can receive access to pain relief more quickly. (Evans, 3/21)
Arizona Republic: Bill To Allow Medical Professionals To Refuse End-Of-Life Instructions Heads To Gov. Doug Ducey
The Arizona Legislature has given final approval to a controversial bill that would protect a health-care provider who refuses for religious or moral reasons to participate in medical care that may lead to a patient's death. The bill passed 32-24, with Republicans supporting it and Democrats opposing it. Four members were absent. (Beard Rau, 3/21)
Georgia Health News: State Shows Improvement In Health System Scorecard
Georgia’s ranking on a health system scorecard has improved from 46th in the nation to 41st. The Commonwealth Fund’s 2017 scorecard ranked the 50 states and the District of Columbia on the most recent data available in five areas: health care access, quality, avoidable hospital use and costs, health outcomes, and health care equity. (Miller, 3/21)
Orlando Sentinel: Sunrise Stem Cell Clinic Behind Blindness Cases Is Largely Unregulated
U.S. Stem Cell Clinic is in the spotlight after three patients reportedly lost their eyesight following procedures here. The Sunrise facility offers stem cell treatments for a range of diseases and chronic disorders and yet it has no medical facility license. Here’s what you might not know: It doesn’t need one. (Lade, 3/21)
Chicago Tribune: Advocate Children's Hospital Takes On Rare Surgery To Help Baby Born With Four Legs
Advocate Children's Hospital surgeons have successfully operated on a baby from Africa born with two spines and an extra set of legs protruding from her neck. The Park Ridge hospital announced Tuesday that 10-month-old Dominique from Ivory Coast, or Cote d'Ivoire, in West Africa, is recovering well from the March 8 surgery. The baby already has started sitting up again, and doctors expect she'll be able to live a normal, fully functional life. (Schencker, 3/21)
St. Louis Public Radio: In St. Louis, A Push For Greater Awareness Of Human Trafficking’s Toll
Eastern Missouri has four full time police officers dedicated to investigating human trafficking cases, but convictions are rare... To improve awareness, Webster University will hold a training session this weekend for law students and the general public. Attendees will hear how people are forced into sex work and other trades, and how to identify warning signs. (Bouscaren, 3/22)
St. Louis Public Radio: More Farmers Claim That Monsanto's Leading Weed Killer Product Caused Them Cancer
Monsanto is facing more pressure to compensate farmers and farm workers who allege that its leading pesticide product caused them to develop cancer. A Los Angeles-based law firm on Friday filed 136 new cases against the company in St. Louis County Circuit Court. The lawsuits allege that exposure to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, caused the plaintiffs to develop non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. (Chen, 3/21)
San Jose Mercury News: Walgreens' "Disney" Animal Crackers Contain Cancerous Chemical, Group Says
“The Jungle Book” may be one of Disney’s most beloved animated movies, but a consumer health watchdog group is warning parents to lay-off feeding their kids Walgreens’ Disney Jungle Book whole grain animal crackers, featuring the storybook characters Mowgli and Baloo on the package. Turns out the bare necessities involved in making that version of the crackers requires higher baking temperatures, which produces excessive levels of a cancer-causing chemical called acrylamide, said Charles Margulis of the Oakland-based Center for Environmental Health. (Seipel, 3/21)
Tampa Bay Times: Senators Poised For First Major Medical Marijuana Hearing
Florida's new medical marijuana market will start to take shape today as a panel of senators workshops five proposals to put the voter-approved constitutional amendment legalizing the drug into place. The Senate Health Policy committee, chaired by Tampa Republican Sen. Dana Young, will consider issues related to the five proposed bills and hear public comment, the first step toward passing legislation and the first time members of the public will hear what key senators think about how medical marijuana should be implemented. (Auslen, 3/22)
Health News Florida: Florida Legislature Starts To Tackle Medical Marijuana Bills
Florida senators will begin hashing out possible medical marijuana laws this week. There are five competing bills just in the Florida Senate on how the state should implement a medical marijuana amendment. The Florida Senate’s Health Policy Committee under Senator Dana Young will start the medical marijuana debate. (Aboraya, 3/21)
